Ankit Gupta has created a mini Mecca for young Americans to play high-level chess and earn FIDE norms with his Metropolitan Chess tournament series. He attracted ten GMs to this year’s major tournament, including Timur Gareyev, Robert Hess, Varuzhan Akobian, Alexander Shabalov, Melikset Khachiyan and GM-elect Enrico Sevillano of the USA, Elshan Moraiabidi from Iran, Dejan Bojkov of Bulgaria, Mesgen Amanov of Turkmenistan, and Gildardo Garcia of Colombia. Eleven IMs also enrolled.

They face many young norm seekers, including a huge number of the top masters in the USA from several age groups. Age 11: Sam Sevian, and Cameron Wheeler. Age 12: Jonathan Chiang and FM Tommy He. 13: Luke Harmon-Velotti. 14: Michael Brown, FM Kayden Troff, Kevin Wang, Varun Krishnan and Yusheng Xia. 15: IM Darwin Yang, FM Yian Liou, Sean Vibbert, and the top US girl under 16, WCM Sarah Chiang. 17: FM Gregory Young and FM Adarsh Jayakumar. 19: FM Konstantin Kavutskiy.

After four rounds GMs Varuzhan Akobian and Elshan Moradiabidi share the lead with 3.5 points, with IMs Mackenzie Molner, Darwin Yang and Luca Shytaj joining six GMs at 3 points. Kevin Wang, Kayden Troff and Sam Sevian have each upset a GM in the early rounds. Meanwhile, California legend IM Jack Peters has turned in some crowd-pleasing games, like this draw with GM Bojkov: